Art students rescuing remarkable Soviet-era mural in Southeastern Estonia
Estonia is peppered with monumental artworks from the Soviet occupation era, many now at risk as the buildings they adorn decay. This week, art students have been in the Põlva County village of Peri, working to save one such unique mural by Estonian artist Andrus Kasemaa.
Students from the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) and Pallas University of Applied Sciences (KKP) have been on site at the former kolkhoz clubhouse in Peri this week, working to rescue Kasemaa's mural "Mahtra War" — a piece inspired by Eduard Vilde's 1902 historical novel of the same name.
For these students, it's a job that carries a great deal of responsibility.
"We're dividing the mural into sections, then using metal frames and cutting the edges off with an angle grinder so we can fit the frame around each piece," said Ekke Valner, a first-year EKA student. "At first, we were afraid we'd only be able to remove a few details, but we've been lucky — the plaster has come away from the wall very cleanly, and it looks like we might be able to take the entire mural with us."
Valner admitted the work was initially nerve-wracking, but they've gotten more confident as they go.
"We've done enough now that I'm not scared anymore," he added. "But those first few attempts were pretty daunting."
Andrus Kasemaa (1941–2016) is well known in Estonian art for his charcoal paintings, making "Mahtra War" all the more special as it is one of just two murals he completed in his lifetime. At 60 square meters, the work is also remarkable for the way it was executed.
"Ilmar Tagel, who served as deputy chair of the kolkhoz, recalled that Kasemaa worked only at night and spent nearly a year on this piece," said EKA rector and professor Hilkka Hiiop.
"[Kasemaa] first sketched it in charcoal, then began painting based on the sketch," she described. "Then, if he didn't like something, he would wash it off and start over. He truly immersed himself in it, and it was a very important piece for him."
More art being rescued as awareness grows
The work is divided into two sections. One depicts Kasemaa's interpretations of the Mahtra War — an 1858 peasant insurgency at Mahtra Manor, in what is now Rapla County. The other shows artist and collector Matti Milius surrounded by kolkhoz leaders.
"Matti Milius is in the very center, and around him are the kolkhoz chair, deputy chair, and reportedly also the chief accountant," Hiiop explained. "What's curious is that, on closer inspection, some of these figures are clearly based on real people, but most of the others figures appear to be more abstract."
According to Hiiop, Estonia still has a great deal of monumental art created during the Soviet period, much of which has been lost along with the buildings that once housed it. Public awareness has grown, however, and more and more of these works are being saved.
Where Kasemaa's rescued mural will be relocated next has yet to be determined.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Aili Vahtla
